RE: Memoir Monday #28 (9/16-9/22) - How did you learn to ride a bicycle?

avatar

You are viewing a single comment's thread:

We had a similar bike to the first photo, back was used to strap on our school bags or lifting a friend, never had the high middle bar, lower for girls bike !LOLZ

Brothers taught me to ride, fall, get up and go again amidst hoots of laughter at around five years old, maybe slightly younger.

Bicycles were our mode of transport to school, visiting friends, going on weekend expeditions cycling further afield to explore the koppies and veld, lots of fun back then. !LUV the freedom we enjoyed!

hive-106316
0
0
0.000
7 comments
avatar

What are the koppies and veld, it sounds like fun times, I only had the campground I lived on to ride. It was ten miles to town and 5 to the closest friend.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

"Veld (also spelled veldt) comes from Afrikaans, the language of the Afrikaners, the descendants of the Dutch and Huguenot people who settled in southern Africa in the 17th century. Literally, veld means "field," and is akin to feld, the Old English predecessor of field. English speakers adopted the Africa-specific sense of veld in the 18th century. Veld refers to open country in southern Africa. Different regions of the veld are distinguished by their elevations. There is the Highveld, the Lowveld, and the Middle Veld, each with different geographical characteristics. Another term associated with veld is kopje (or koppie). This word came to English from Afrikaans (and ultimately from a Dutch word meaning "small head" or "cup") and refers to a small hill, particularly one on the African veld." Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veld

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Thank you for the explanation, I would have never guessed it meant field and hill.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

We often use words we relate to forgetting many won't understand the meaning, sorry. Have a great day.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Don't be sorry, if you did not do that, I would have never known what those words meant, now I do so the next time I see them I will know what they mean. So thank you.

0
0
0.000
Reply